Old Sailors Home

Old Sailors Home

I am wondering if someone might be able to help me. I have a great-great- grandfather who was a sailor on whaling ships out of New Bedford, Massachuetts during 1860 to about 1880. I have been told that he died ( I have no death date, just sure it was before 1900) in an Old Sailors Home in Maine. We know this because a daughter went there to stay with him, and when he died she brought him back to Massachuetts for burial. I haven't been able to find anything about a home for sailors on the Internet. Since I live in Texas I was hoping someone from Maine might know about this Sailors Home. Can anyone help? I am sure it doesn't exist any more, but perhaps some one may know where it may have been, so I could find a death certificate. Thanks, Diane

Re: Old Sailors Home

I know of none in Maine but there was the Sailors Snug Harbor Home in Staten Island, New York. This was a home that housed 1000 retired/sick mariners from all over the world. Many Sailors from Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick Canada, etc. were at Snug Harbor.

Regards,

Fred

Re: Old Sailors Home

I do not know of a sailors home, but the National Soldiers Home is in Togus, Maine. It is now the Togus VA. I myself am trying to get info on a relative. Just learned of it last week. If this helps and you get info, please forward how you retrieved it. Thanks

Re: Old Sailors Home

http://www.state.me.us/sos/arc/ is the Maine State Archives website. They would be the ones to contact about a death record for someone who died in Maine in that time period. If they don't have the record it may be stored at the county level, but they will tell you what you need to know. Also, if he is buried in a national cemetery, including the one at Togus, they also are online (just Google "national cemetery").

Regards,Sharyn

Re: Old Sailors Home

Togus is a village in the town of Chelsea, Maine. There used to be the Eastern Branch National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers there. I suspect that would include the Navy, but I do not know about the Merchant Marine. Best of luck.

Barry

p.s. I'm also looking, myself, for other researchers on the brothers Silvador, Frank and John (from Portland Maine?), who lived there in 1900.

Re: Old Sailors Home

you could try the Maine State Museum in Augusta, Maine or the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine. I have some niggling memory of an Old Sailors Home in Portland, Maine on the waterfront (waterfront then, not now) you might contact the Historical Society of Portland

Re: Old Sailors Home

"The Portland Sailor's Home and Bethel was built in 1854 by the Maine Seamen's Union at the corner of Waite (now the eastern part of Middle) and India Streets, converted from the Stephen Waite House built in 1830. It was spared in the July 4, 1866 fire, and was renamed the American House, later the Eagle House and Florence Hotel. It was partially destroyed by an arsonist in 1930, and is now home to Micucci Grocery. (Thanks to Bruce Micucci for filling in these holes)" September 18, 2012

My gr-gr-grandfather Daniel H. Randall (himself an old sea Captain) was the proprietor/landlord of the "American House" on 43 India St. in 1879. By 1884 his son Thomas H. Randall was the proprietor of the "Eagle House" at 43 India St. It is possible that the location was also commonly known as the sailors home from its early history.